Good sleep leads to overall good health, say experts

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Take the proper number of hours of sleep in a day seriously and observe religiously the ways for a good and restful sleep, beneficial to overall health, said five doctors from Dubai and Sharjah.

The five are Burjeel Hospital (Sharjah) Pulmonary specialist Dr. Abdalkarim Nassar, Adam Vital Hospital (Dubai) Internal Medicine specialist Dr. Syed Nadir, Al Futtaim Health Hub (Dubai) Pulmonology specialist Dr. Vinod Pulakattu Kuzhiyil, Al Zahra Hospital (Dubai) Pulmonology consultant Dr. Sherif Fayed, and Medeor Hospital (Dubai) Respiratory Medicine/Pulmonology specialist/Snoring/Sleep Apnea Treatment expert Dr. Saheer Sainalabdeen.

They were consulted in connection with the July 6, 2021-published University of South Florida study involving 2,000 “middle-aged adults who were relatively healthy and well-educated” that had complained of physical and mental discomforts for the loss of between one and one-and-a half hours of sleep each night for eight consecutive days.

Over in Dubai and Sharjah, the five specialists said adults – whether young adults between 18 and 35 years old, the middle-aged between 36 and 55 years old, and the older adults from 56 years old and above – must sleep between seven and nine hours each night. The five get to see sleep-deprived patients. Sainalabdeen and Kuzhiyil receive an average of two patients a day. Alongside Nadir, both said their patients are generally “bothered” by their inability to sleep soundly and rest fully for at least seven hours each night. Nadir said: “Patients are bothered because of the lack of sleep as it results in depression, weight gain, lack of concentration...”

Fayed attributed the situation to life’s modernity and the current Novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Nassar enumerated the sleep disorders and explained each: insomnia (trouble falling and remaining asleep or both), sleep apnea (occurs when the airways get blocked repeatedly during sleep), Narcolepsy (daytime sleep attacks characterised by sudden sleepiness), Restless Leg Syndrome (the sensation leading to the constant movement of the legs even when asleep), and Parasomnia.

Tips for adults on how to sleep between seven and nine hours every night:

• Decrease caffeine intake especially in the late afternoon and evening. Lessen water intake before bedtime.

• Get some exercise and engage in other physical activities during the day to easily fall asleep in the night.

• Limit tobacco and alcohol  Avoid getting used to sleeping pills.

• Slow down with the TV, phone, and computer 30 minutes before bedtime.

• Turn the bedroom into a sleep-inducing environment: dimly-lit, comfortable bed and correct room temperature.